Critical Thinking: Should Everyone Be Able To Vote?

Ever since it became clear that the United Kingdom would withdraw from the European Union, a lot of people have said that not everyone should be able to vote. Unsurprisingly, this is a viewpoint that appears to be primarily held by the people who wanted the United Kingdom to stay in the European Union.

In their eyes, this was the wrong outcome, and, if the people who voted Leave were as informed as them, they would have made a different decision. So, unlike the people who voted Leave, they were the ones who actually knew what was best.

A Superior Position

It has been said that a lot of people who voted to remain had been to university, adding more weight to the view that these people knew what was best. This is, of course, based on the assumption that everyone who goes to university is highly intelligent, and that this is an environment where people learn how to think, not what to think.

With that aside, if the people who voted Leave were as well informed as the people who voted Remain, it would have resulted in a different outcome. Naturally, this has meant that some people from other side have called this side arrogant and even deluded, amongst other things.

The Right Information

Some of the people who voted Remain will believe that if the law was changed so that only certain people were able to vote, better decisions would be made in the future. The people who are allowed to vote will then be like parents, whilst the people who can’t will be like children.

Therefore, it won’t matter if these people are completely uniformed as they won’t be able to play a part in what happens in the country they live in. They will be able to make small decisions, such as what to wear each day and what to eat, while those in the know make the big decisions.

Resistance

If someone who voted Leave was to hear this, they might find it hard to understand how anyone could have this view. They could believe that they have the same right as anyone else to vote.

Along with this, they may believe that it shouldn’t matter whether or not they have been to university. They may come to the conclusion that if someone believes that only some people should vote it shows how deluded they are, as opposed to how intelligent they are.

The Power of Information

What is clear is that in order for someone to make good decisions, it will be vital for them to have the right information at their finger tips. For example, if someone had the need to get somewhere at a certain time for an appointment, they would need to look into how to make this happen.

Without the right information, they might end up arriving late or end up somewhere else entirely. Based on this, if someone doesn’t have the right information, it is going to be a lot harder for them to vote for the right option.

Another Element

Still, having access to information is one thing; it is another thing altogether to be able to take it in and to decide what the best course of action is. And, although it is widely believed that every human being is equal in every way, this doesn’t change the fact that this has no basis in reality.

In the same way that someone won’t be able to fly just because they believe they can; believing that everyone is equal won’t make it so. The only thing it will do is cause someone to get caught up in an idea and to lose touch with reality.

A Sensible Decision

Taking this into account, it can seem as though it would be a good idea if only certain people had the ability to vote. The power to decide what does and doesn’t happen would then be in the hands of the people who had the ability to see the big picture and to look out for their fellow citizens.

This is then no tantamount to how someone usually looks towards their doctor or dentist, for instance, to do what is right for their health. They won’t have the same understanding as them, so it will be the sensible thing to do.

A Big problem

Yet, regardless of whether everyone has the ability to vote or a few people are able to, it is going to be a lot harder for them to make the right decision if certain information is kept from them. Said another way, if the establishment are able to control the information that people are exposed to, they are not going to have the ability to make an informed decision.

When this happens, the mainstream media, corporations, the education system, and different social media sites, for instance, will define what people believe. This way, someone will have the ability to vote, but, it won’t really matter.

One Big Illusion

Having the ability to vole will allow someone to believe that they have power, thereby stopping them from doing anything that would truly make a difference. Controlling what information people are exposed to is one way to control what they believe; another way is to have two main political parties that are simply two sides of the same coin.

It is vital that people believe that they are being given information that is unbiased and that both parties are not connected. And, due to the amount of power that these different organisations have, it is extremely easy for them to maintain their power structure.

Conclusion

If someone’s mind has been lobotomised due to the amount of propaganda that they have absorbed over the years, it is going to be a challenge for them to vote for the right thing. Nevertheless, they can still believe that they are clued up about what is going on, even though practically everything they know could be the result of what the system wants them to know.
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And, as more people are going to university than ever before, there are plenty of people who believe that they are in the know. Someone like this can then be so caught up in their own ego that it stops them from being able to realise that they don’t know everything. 

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Oliver JR Cooper
http://www.oliverjrcooper.co.uk